


I'll Wait Forever

by SilveryEyedWarrior



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I just wanted to see them happy, They're In Love Your Honor, did this fanfic make me cry? maybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29982570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilveryEyedWarrior/pseuds/SilveryEyedWarrior
Summary: What would've happened if Jamie and Dani had found a way to stay together? This is an alternate version of the story that follows the two, culminating in the moment when Dani decides to leave.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Kudos: 20





	I'll Wait Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope that you'll enjoy this fanfic. I know that I'm a little late to the fandom, but this series was seriously so good. I stayed up all night to watch it, then cried ugly tears when it ended. I just want them to be happy together!! Also, I used Dani's words from her proposal verbatim because it is the most romantic scene I've ever watched okay don't @ me. The title is inspired by The Haunting of Bly Manor "It's You, It's Me, It's Us" song by Reinaeiry on YouTube, you should check it out.

“Flora!”

Dani’s voice choked out of her as she continued to stumble toward the lake. She could see the shapes of Flora and the Lade of the Lake as they descended into the water.

No. She couldn’t lose Flora. She refused to let go of this child, this sweet, sweet child who had saved Dani by sacrificing herself. And so, even though her lungs were burning, and her throat still felt tight and cold from the Lady of the Lake’s touch, she kept going, going to save this child.

The icy water sent a chill up her spine as she stumbled into the lake, her eyes still fixed on Flora. The child had gone silent, as though she had accepted the dire fate that awaited her at the bottom of the lake. At this horrid sight, something bubbled up inside Dani, something she didn’t even know was there.

“It-it’s you!” she cried. “It’s me.” The Lady of the Lake paused. “It’s us,” Dani finished raggedly.

The Lady of the Lake turned, her featureless face gleaming with water in the moonlight. Even though she had no eyes, it seemed as though she was staring directly at Dani. Dani held her gaze for a moment, entranced, before the Lady disappeared, leaving Flora alone in the lake. Dani pushed herself through the water to where Flora was and gathered her in her arms.

They made their way back to the shore, where Jamie had waded into. Jamie took the both of them in her arms, her eyes glistening with tears.

“It’s okay,” she said.

Danie was gasping and choking, from the water or from her run, she didn’t know. Jamie’s grip on her tightened and she pressed their foreheads together.

“It’s okay,” she repeated. “It’s okay, Dani.”

Dani let herself relax slightly in Jamie’s arms, but her grip on Flora was still strong. All that mattered was that Flora was safe.

But as they all came up on the shore, Dani felt something inside of her stirring. She felt a void forming inside of her, growing larger and larger by the second. She looked toward the lake, across the fog, and she thought, just for a moment, how peaceful and nice it looked.

For the first year, nothing happened. Dani was simply Dani, and she didn’t feel any urge to return to Bly Manor or the lake. She and Jamie had even opened up their own flower shop and named it The Leafling. Jamie had always joked that Dani was like a little leafling—still growing and green.

One day, as Dani was working behind the counter, Jamie walked into their store. Dani looked up and smiled, until she noticed the potted plant Jamie held in her hands. Although it had yet to bloom, Dani could recognize that flower anywhere.

“Is that… a moonflower?” she asked.

Jamie just huffed a sigh in response. She shoved her hands into her back pockets like she always did and slowly met Dani’s eyes.

“You see, we have a wee bit of a problem, Poppins.”

Dani felt her heart stop. A problem? What problem could there be? They had lasted longer than Dani thought they would, but was she just not enough for Jamie?

“The thing is,” Jamie continued, “it seems that I love you. A lot, actually.”

The cold grip on Dani’s heart immediately lessened at Jamie’s words. She came out from behind the counter and took Jamie in her arms.

“Then I guess I have a problem too,” she said. “Because I love you too.”

A giggle escaped Jamie’s mouth as their lips pressed together, the moonflower forgotten. That particular flower had taken Jamie months to acquire and plant properly. Part of growing a moonflower is the proper care in the planting process, just as there was in any relationship. Jamie knew that this moonflower would one day bloom into a beautiful and full flower worthy of the love of her life.

Year after year passed, and Dani was still there. She was still there, and she was still her. For the first time in years, she started to relax and think to herself that maybe it was time that she let it go and live her own life.

That was her first mistake.

She had been out and about, getting groceries and supplies for The Leafling, a day like any other. On her way back to their shop, Dani felt a strange stirring in her chest. She thought that maybe she was just hungry, having not eaten much that day.

She turned the corner and walked briskly down the sidewalk. She then turned to enter their shop and stopped short.

There it was.

Staring back at Dani, instead of her usual reflection, was a dark-haired, faceless woman. Her empty eye sockets seemed to stare at Dani, baiting her.

Then something moved behind the reflection and Dani’s eyes focused on Jamie, who was standing behind the glass. Jamie gave Dani a small smile and Dani entered the shop, throwing open the door and removing the faceless woman from her sight.

It was always mirrors. For years, Dani had been tormented by mirrors, refusing to even look at her own reflection. She couldn’t check her hair or makeup or even go to the bathroom without being face-to-face with one.

And now, she couldn’t even see her reflection in them at all.

They say that mirrors reflect the truth. In that case, what kind of truth was staring back at her through the washed away eyes of the Lady of the Lake?

Dani knew that her time was coming soon, and that it was only a matter of time before she would be consumed by the Lady of the Lake.

If that was the case, then she wanted to make the most of the time that she had left.

Dani went and uprooted one of the plants that Jamie had planted, purposefully doing a bad job at it. She then got a pot and put the plant inside. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a golden ring, adorned with a heart, two hands, and a crown. Dani smiled at the ring, thinking again of its significance and how much she wanted to see it on Jamie’s ring finger.

She slid it on one of the plant’s roots and placed the entire thing in the pot.

That night, she returned to the little apartment she and Jamie shared, the plant held carefully in her hands. Jamie’s back was to her, and so she couldn’t see the plant that Dani held. Dani went over to the counter and plopped it down.

“I found a plant in the road today,” she lied. “Maybe we could resurrect it.”

Jamie finally turned and Dani’s heart skipped a beat. She was breathtakingly beautiful, in every sense of the word. By appearance alone, she was easily the most eye-catching woman in any room, but doubled with her kind personality, she was a knockout. Dani thanked each and every day that Jamie stayed with her.

“Well, here’s the problem,” Jamie said when she had examined the plant. “The roots—” She stopped short, having finally noticed the ring.

Jamie slowly pulled it out and turned to look at Dani, tears collecting in her eyes. Dani’s own eyes gleamed with tears, but for different reasons.

“You are my best friend,” she said, her voice trembling, “and the love of my life. I don't know how much time we have left, but however much it is I wanna spend it with you. And… I know we can’t technically get married, but I also don’t really care. We can wear the rings, and we’ll know.”

When Dani finished speaking, Jamie burst forward and wrapped Dani in her arms. She buried her face in Dani’s shoulder, soaking her shirt with tears.

“Of course, Poppins,” she sobbed. “Of course, we’ll know. And we’ll be together no matter what.”

Dani nodded, although her mind was beginning to travel elsewhere. Was this really what she wanted? Did she really want to tie Jamie down like this?  
Was this ring a symbol of love and promise, or was it a chain to drag the love of her life down to a watery grave?

Jamie walked into their apartment with her hands full. She closed the door behind her with her foot, still looking down at the little piece of paper in her hands.

“It’s official,” she called out. “We are now officially and legally married.”

Although the two had been “married” for several years, Vermont had just legalized civil union between same-sex couples. Jamie had rushed to the courthouse to obtain a certificate, while Dani had elected to stay home.

Jamie finally looked up and cast her eyes around the empty apartment. She had assumed that Dani would rush to the door with that ridiculously cute smile of hers, but there didn’t seem to be anyone there at all.

“Dani?” Jamie called. There was no answer.

She put down the certificate and everything else she was holding and raced around the house. She stopped short when she saw water seeping out of the bathroom. She ducked into the bathroom, where she found Dani staring into heir bathtub, the water flowing over the sides.

Jamie lurched forward and turned the bath water off.

“Dani,” she said, shaking her wife’s shoulder.

Dani seemed to be in a daze, still staring into the water. He hair had spilled into the water, and Jamie reached over to pull it back and dry it off.

“Do you see her?” Dani asked.

Jamie hesitated before answering. She didn’t look at the bath water, at Dani’s reflection. She didn’t want to.

“I only see you,” she said.

That made Dani finally look up, although her eyes were still miles away. Over the years, Dani’s blue eyes sometimes took on a brownish tint. In those moments, it seemed like it was more the Lady of the Lake than Dani present.

“Sorry… all the water. I didn’t realize the bath was still running. I guess I got… distracted.”

Jamie stopped toweling Dani’s hair and rested the fabric over her shoulder. She reached forward and laid her hand gently on Dani’s cheek, turning her head to face her. Dani’s porcelain skin felt cool to the touch.

“It’s okay,” Jamie said softly. “It’s easy to clean up.”

Dani’s eyes looked tired. Jamie could see the dark bags under them get deeper and deeper each day. She wondered if Dani could even see the Lady of Lake reflected in Jamie’s eyes.

“I’m tired, Jamie.”

“I know.”

Jamie’s thumb brushed back and forth across Dani’s cheek, gently trying to wash away her exhaustion, her sadness. Her hopelessness.

Dani’s eyes turned away from hers and returned to look at the water.

“It’s like… it's like I don't feel it all the way. Most of the time, I just look at my reflection and I stare at her, and… It's getting harder and harder to see me.” She slowly looked back at Jamie, her eyes back to their beautiful blue hue. “Maybe I should just accept that.”

Jamie’s eyebrows knit together. She knew what Dani was trying to say.

“No,” she said firmly. “No.”

“Maybe I should just accept that and go.”

“No.” Jamie’s voice cracked. She lifted her other hand and gripped Dani’s face in between her hands. Hands that had been worn down throughout the years, taking care of plans and being stuck by thorns and thistles. But Dani had never thought of those hands as rough. No, with her, those hands were always gentle.

“If you can't feel anything,” Jamie said quietly, “then I'll feel everything for the both of us. So, please don’t go anywhere, Poppins.”

Dani’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.

“What if…” she said shakily. “What if I’m not me? What if I’m sitting here, and it’s not me, but it’s really her?”

“Shh, don’t worry.” Jamie leaned forward and put her arms around her wife, pulling her into a hug. “One day at a time, Dani.”

A few nights later, Dani’s worst fears were realized.

She was having a dream. She knew that she was having a dream, but the reality of it felt too real, like something that was yet to come.

She saw Jamie. Her dear Jamie, the love of her life, drowning in the sea. She saw her own hand reach up and wrap around her wife’s throat, pulling her down into the watery depths of the Bly Manor’s lake. She saw the bubbles form as Jamie tried to scream.

Dani’s eyes opened to see Jamie’s face. For a moment, she was relieved. And then she noticed that her hand was inches away from Jamie’s throat.  
Jamie’s throat had always been precious territory. It was a place where Dani could rest her head and feel at home. It was a place where she would bury her face and breathe in her wife’s scent as she drifted off to sleep, where she would occasionally brush her lips, making Jamie giggle and squirm.

And now…

Dani jerked her hand back. No. She would not. Dani would never. Not to Jamie, not to her most important person.

Dani would have to leave.

She carefully crept away from Jamie and sat on the edge of the bed. She stood up and quietly crept to their bedroom door.

“Going somewhere, Poppins?”

Dani’s hand froze on its way to turn the doorknob. Her hand curled into a fist, clenching hard. Her fingernails dug into her skin, drawing blood. She slowly turned her head to see Jamie sitting up in their bed.

Her hair was all out of place, and her eyes were half open. Dani always loved to watch Jamie wake up in the morning, but this sight brought a harsh pain to her heart. Jamie was awake when she should be asleep, and she would try to stop Dani from leaving. Dani knew her wife better than anyone, and she had that stubborn look in her sleepy eyes.

“Jamie,” Dani pleaded. She stayed where she was, away from Jamie. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep her down anymore. And I can’t risk you. Not for one more day. I have to be stopped before I do anything.”

There was a palpable silence in the room as Dani’s words hung in the air. Jamie rubbed her eyes and patted the bed.

“Come here, Poppins,” she said softly.

Dani didn’t move. She couldn’t.

“Dani.”

Against her will, Dani’s feet took her across the room and onto her bed. She sat next to Jamie, who turned to face her.

“Were you going to leave, Poppins?” she asked.

Dani didn’t answer. It was pretty obvious what her intentions were.

“Without a goodbye?”

“I had my hands around your neck, Jamie. What was I supposed to do?”

Jamie’s eyes softened, and Dani had to look away. She couldn’t take that look, the amount of love that was contained in that look.

“Hey… listen.”

Dani felt Jamie’s hand on her cheek, gently pulling her gaze back to Jamie’s. Her wife’s hand was warm against her cheek. Jamie’s hands were always warm, reflecting the kindness within her.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jamie said softly. “And you’re not going anywhere either. Let’s stay together, Poppins, you and me.”

At those words, something inside of Dani roused, as though an ancient existence was awakening deep down. Something that missed the sound of those words.

“You… and me…” Dani repeated numbly.

Jamie reached up her other hand and cupped Dani’s face. She leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together, staring into Dani’s big blue eyes.

“Hey,” she said, smiling. “It’s you. It’s me. It’s us. Okay?”

Dani’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded slightly. Jamie leaned forward a little more and their lips connected. As they kissed, something strange happened. The hole that had existed in Dani for years suddenly began to fill, little by little. It was a slight change, but it was still a change, nonetheless.

Jamie and Dani broke apart, both of them in tears. Jamie’s eyes had become mismatched—one green and the other brown. Dani’s were the same, but with blue and brown. They had become mismatched, but they still fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

“I… I can feel it,” Dani said. “I can feel you.”

Jamie’s mouth twitched in a small smile.

“I feel you too, Poppins. But I also feel her.”

Dani’s blood turned cold.

“You can?”

“It isn’t strong, but she’s there. But don’t worry, Dani, she won’t take either of us.”

Jamie’s mismatched eyes bore into Dani’s. When she looked at her reflection in those beautiful eyes, she couldn’t see the Lady of the Lake. She could only see herself. 

She could only see the image that Jamie saw.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Poppins.”

They both leaned forward, meeting in the middle. The weight on Dani’s shoulders seemed to lift, as Jamie was now sharing the burden. And as they kissed and drifted off to sleep that night, Dani felt truly peaceful for the first time in years, and she slept like a baby in the arms of the person she loved most in the world.

And that is the end of the story of Dani and Jamie. What happened after that, well… They lived their days peacefully together, never returning to Bly Manor. They simply spent their time together in happiness and tranquility.

So, yes, this is the story of the haunting of Bly Manor. It is the story of one woman scorned by another, a love that twisted and corrupted and killed. But it is also a story of one woman healing another and being healed in return. It is the story of a selfless love and finding acceptance in another. This is the story of two women who found each other, and they lived together in their love. Forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :) Did anyone notice that Dani's eyes turned brown for a second as she looked at The Lady of the Lake? I didn't notice until later, but I thought it was so cool that I had to add it.


End file.
